While TV audiences are happy to have their fall shows back on the small screen, many are still reeling from the myriad exciting summer series. Chief among them is the Netflix original series Stranger Things, which captivated and scared audiences when it was released back in July. And through all of the telekinesis, demogorgons, and journeys into The Upside Down, there has been one breakout star of the thrilling sci-fi series: Barb. Although she only appeared on screen a handful of times, Nancy's bestie Barbara is everyone's favorite character, making her tragic death even harder to swallow. When Season 2 was announced, fans began to speculate as to whether Barb will return from the dead in some way. Unfortunately, this doesn't seem likely.
At New York Comic Con, Stranger Things actors Millie Bobby Brown (Eleven) and David Harbour (Chief Hopper) took questions from the audience about both Season 1 and the upcoming sophomore season. Of course, the subject turned to Barb's possible reappearance, to which Harbour said the following (via The Verge):
I can assure you that Barb is very much dead.
Well, this blows.
David Harbour seems to have put the final kibosh on Barb somehow being alive during Season 2, which is sure to disappoint fans everywhere. Since the finale episode saw Joyce and Hopper manage to find and revive Will, it put a glimmer of hope for Barb fans that she might not be totally gone. Additionally, there was a very popular fan theory that Barb could actually transform into a demogorgon herself. Clearly, Will has some sort of affliction or infection as a result of his time in the monster's lair, so the theory is that since Barb couldn't be saved, she'd return as another terrifying creature. Rather than eating his victims, perhaps the demogorgon was simply trying to create more monsters.
Alas, it looks like Barb is dead for good. This shouldn't come as much of a surprise to Stranger Things fans. In addition to seeing her being taken by the demogorgon, her death was confirmed more than once in the series. First, Eleven found her body during her walk through the Upside Down, saying she was "gone". And when Joyce and Hopper made their way to the Upside Down themselves, Hopper saw an extremely deteriorated version of her body. So things weren't looking great for Nancy's partner in crime.
And although Barb is definitely dead, that doesn't mean we won't see her in Season 2. Stranger Things has already been known to utilize flashbacks, so I wouldn't be surprised if Nancy remembers her past with Barb, giving us new scenes with the fan favorite. Additionally, the Duffer brothers have promised #JusticeForBarb, so we will presumably see how her disappearance and death has affected the town of Hawkins.
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